The present invention relates generally to crowd control barriers and, more particularly, to a crowd control barrier having a rotatable base that is lockable in different positions.
Crowd control barriers are generally well known and widely used for general crowd control, as well as for other uses. Typical crowd control barriers include a frame having a top rail, a bottom rail, end rails positioned between the top and bottom rails, and a plurality of vertically oriented rails positioned parallel to the end rails and also extending between the top and bottom rails. This type of crowd control barrier also commonly includes a base portion for supporting the frame in an upright position. This type of crowd control barrier is typically constructed of steel, other suitable metal material, or other suitable material for forming a crowd control barrier.
It is known to weld the base to the frame of the crowd control barrier for secure attachment therebetween. However, the base or the frame is frequently damaged during use and one or the other of these components frequently needs to be replaced. Of course, replacement of the base or the frame when these two components are welded together is difficult and expensive. Therefore, the practice of welding the base to the frame was eventually replaced with bolt on bases. Another disadvantage of welding the base to the frame is that the welding usually resulted in a zinc or galvanized protective coating contained on the material from which the crowd control barrier was constructed being damaged and the material beginning to rust. Bolt on bases allowed for easy replacement of the base or the frame without damaging the barrier or effecting the structural integrity of the barrier.
A disadvantage of bolt on bases is that the base typically remained in a fixed position with respect to the frame making transportation and storage of the crowd control barrier difficult. For example, the base typically is positioned perpendicular to the frame and projects outwardly from the frame such that when attempting to stack the barriers for transportation and storage the positioning of the base required additional space for transporting and storing the barriers. Typically, these type of crowd control barriers were placed in an offset stacking arrangement for transportation and storage.
It is known in the art to provide for a crowd control barrier where the base is removably attached to the frame by providing for a pair of aligned apertures that permit the base to be bolted to the frame. Typically, the bolt extends through one of the pair of aligned apertures such that the base is perpendicular to the frame and such that the bolt may be removed and reinserted through the other of the pair of aligned apertures so that the frame and base are aligned. However, the disadvantage of this arrangement is that it is difficult to remove and reinsert the bolt while properly aligning the same with the aligned apertures and, further, such a task typically requires more than one person to carry out the task.
French Patent No. 2,503,227 discloses what appears to be a crowd control barrier having a base that is attached to a frame by a friction fit arrangement such that the base is repositionable with respect to the frame without disconnecting the base from the frame. However, the disadvantage of this arrangement is that once the base is positioned in the desired position with respect to the frame, the base is not securely held in the desired position because of the friction fit arrangement therebetween.
What is needed, therefore, is a crowd control barrier having a frame and a base that is mounted to the frame such that the base may be easily rotated with respect to the frame between at least a use and a storage position and where the base may be locked to the frame in at least the use position and the storage position.